Chapter 11
With the Prince

Derek slowly opened his eyes to find himself in a small cabin with rough walls and one small window. Someone was standing over him with a kind smile on his face. Blinking, he tried to sit up. For a moment he did not recognize the man, until he remembered.

The Prince. The Prince had come and rescued him from an imminent death.

"My lord," he said, bowing his head. "Thank you."

The Prince smiled at him. "You must never forget that wherever you are, Derek, I am always with you. Now," He lifted a wooden cup to his lips. "Drink this."

Eagerly Derek drank the water. When he finished he lay back, but instead of falling asleep his mind was actively trying to remember. Something that had been said earlier sparked a question in his mind.

"The one who betrayed you." Why had he been accused of betrayal? Derek had never done anything of the kind.

As he tried to think about any possible answer Derek found his eyes sliding closed and eventually he fell asleep.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Sunlight shone through the windows of the cabin as Derek stretched and walked outside. He still could not believe that the Prince had saved him…and that he was still here, training Derek to become a master of the sword.

But there was still one question that bothered him. Why would the Dark Knight think I had betrayed him?

One day he broached the subject after one of his training sessions with the Prince.

"Why would anyone think I had done such a thing?" He asked.

"I will tell you," the Prince said, "but you may not fully understand."

Derek leaned forward slightly as the Prince began to speak.

"The Dark Knight does not wish for the people of this land to hear my story, but you — my followers — continue to spread it wherever you go. Thus, both he and I have taken to searching for knights who are fully committed to serve."

He paused and looked Derek fully in the eyes. "You were one such person. Before coming to know me, you were fully committed to serving the Dark Knight."

Derek hung his head. He thought about the many times he had violently opposed any Knight of the Prince who had come to share His message.

"But you changed," the Prince continued. "That is why he considers you a traitor."

"What can I do, my lord?" Derek asked after a long silence. "I am but one man, and a hunted one at that. There is little I can do."

The Prince smiled at him. "You will tear down strongholds in my Name and in my Power. Do not say you can only do little."

And Derek felt when the Prince spoke like that, he really could do anything.

A/N: I'm sorry I haven't been posting on this story, but I ran out of inspiration/motivation to work on it. (It's been like what? A year? Anyway...I'm back!)